Drugs.com, the leading online clinical drug resource, released first quarter 2012 U.S. prescription sales data for the top 100 drugs.
Blood-thinners, proton-pump inhibitors, antipsychotics and asthma therapeutic categories continue to remain top sellers.
Top Five Drugs by Sales, Q1 2012
|
Drug Name |
Sales ($000) |
% Change (previous quarter) |
|
Plavix |
1,620,790 |
2.85% |
|
Nexium |
1,395,981 |
-3.08% |
|
Abilify |
1,340,200 |
4.46% |
|
Singulair |
1,238,134 |
8.67% |
|
Seroquel |
1,161,141 |
3.29% |
Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Plavix leads the way with over $1.6 billion in sales in the first quarter of 2012. However, the recent launch of clopidogrel (the generic version of Plavix) may alter these figures in upcoming quarters. Proton-pump inhibitor Nexium sees a small decline, while sales for Abilify and Singulair both exceeded $1 billion. The generic version of Singulair (montelukast) is slated for market entry in Q3 2012.
“The most recent sales data from the first quarter of 2012 highlights the continued stronghold of several branded medications,” said Philip Thornton, CEO of Drugs.com. “However, with generic versions of Plavix and Lipitor now available and with a number of established brands moving to first-time generic status in the coming years, lower-cost medications will enable patients to have greater access to lifesaving treatments and save billions in healthcare dollars.”
Top Sales Gains and Losses in Q1 2012
Atorvastatin and its branded version Lipitor claim both the top gain and loss, respectively, in Q1 2012.
Q1 2012 Top Five Sales Gains
|
Drug Name |
Gain ($000) |
% Change |
|
atorvastatin |
$447,316 |
+88.56% |
|
Synagis |
$109,826 |
+38.30% |
|
Singulair |
$98,833 |
+8.67% |
|
Remicade |
$82,088 |
+10.04% |
|
Cymbalta |
$72,540 |
+7.58% |
Atorvastatin makes the biggest gain, bringing total sales in Q1 2012 to $952 million. As a comparison, Lipitor sales reached $1.9 billion in each of the first three quarters of 2011.
Synagis, MedImmune’s monoclonal antibody used for prevention of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants and young children, gains 38 percent.
Q1 2012 Top Five Sales Losses
|
Drug Name |
Loss ($000) |
% Change |
|
Lipitor |
-760,948 |
-47.51% |
|
Lexapro |
-227,560 |
-31.67% |
|
Zyprexa |
-184,540 |
-49.69% |
|
Epogen |
-159,223 |
-24.52% |
|
Incivek |
-75,404 |
-16.88% |
Pfizer’s cholesterol-lowering statin Lipitor lost patent protection in 2011 and sales of the brand dropped to 14th position.
Eli Lilly’s Zyprexa drops 43 places to 84th and closes the quarter with $194 million. Sales of Forest Laboratories’ popular antidepressant Lexapro also declined due to the availability of its generic counterpart, escitalopram.
Date: July 17, 2012
Source: Drugs.com
Filed Under: Drug Discovery
